Bottle-filling apparatus.



Witnesses F. L. SHELOR.

BOTTLE FILLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I8. 1916.

l atented Apr. 9, 1918..

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

lnventdr Attorneys F. L. SHELOR.

BOTTLE FILLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION man ocr. 1a. 1916. I 1,262,274. Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

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w M: Q x G x m m K m m i i w Witnesses I F. L. SHELOR.

BOTTLE FILLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION man OCT. 1 s. l9l6 Patentd Apr. 9, 191&

v 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 Witnesses lnvgntor Attorneys an s ra'rns PA NT @FFEQE.

FREDERICK LYNN SHELOR, or SALEM, VIRGINIA, AssIeNon 'ro INTERNATION L FILLER conrona'rron, or RICHMOND, vrnemm.

BOTTLE-FILLING APPARATT IS.

A Specification of Letters Patent.

rammed Apr. 9, was.

Application filed October 18, 1916. Serial No. 126,356.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK L. SHELoR, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residin at Salem, in the county of Roanoke and tate of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Bottle-Filling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. I

The present invention appertains to filling apparatus'for bottles and other vessels, and is particularly an improvement over the bottle filling apparatus disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 75,797, filed February 2, 1916.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved filling apparatus for bottles and other vessels embodying filling nozzles connected to a pump and a supply tank for the liquid with which .the bottles are to be filled, the nozzles being mounted for up and down movement in order that trays of bottles moved thereunder will enable the nozzles to be conven iently and effectively applied to and removed from the bottles.

The present invention involves improvements in the manner of mounting the nozzles, the means for moving them into and.

out of engagement'with the bottles, and the manner of moving the trays or bottle carriers for bringing the rows of bottles in successionunder the nozzles.

A further object of the invention is the 1 provision of a bottle filling apparatus whereinthe use of rubber hose or flexible joints of mechanical construction between the filling nozzles and liquid supply tanks are "eliminated, the nozzles being in continuous communication with the liquid tank, and the objectionable features incident to the use of rubber hose and flexible joints being eliminated, it being known that acidulous liquids attack and destroy rubber hose and flexible pipe joints, whereas the present construction in utilizing rigid pipes between the nozzles and liquid tank reduces corrosion to a min imum' and practically negligible amount.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a bottle filling apparatus wherein the liquid, especially when heated, in being delivered into the bottles is distributed around the circumference of each bottle, so as to flow down the sides of the bottle in a sheet, covering the surface of the bottle, in order that the'bottle wlll expand evenly throughout its area to avoid breakage, it being a well recognized fact that filling apparatus now in use in delivering the hot liquid to the bottles frequently result in the breakage of the bottles due to uneven expansion thereof.

With the foregoing and other objects in I view which will'appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of partsand in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of' the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Flgure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus,

portions being broken away.

2 is a front View of the apparatus, portions belng shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a. side. elevation, portions being,

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail illustrating one of the nozzle structures.

The apparatus is used with an elongated table or track 1- having transverse rollers 2 over which the trays 3 for the bottles .or

vessels are movable longitudinally to bring the successive rows of bottles under the filling nozzles. At one side of the table, there is disposed a pair of parallel longitudinal .bars 4 between which rollers 5 are mounted for rotation about vertical axes, the bars t cal shaft 7 journaled for rotation in brackets 8 carried by a standard 9 secured to the table or supporting structure at the respective side, a hand wheel 10 being secured to the upper end of the shaft 7 for manually rotating it. An oscillatory frame 11 is 'mounted for oscillation upon th haft 7 above the lower bracket 8, and a toothed feed wheel or-roller 12 is mounted for rotation within the frame 11 and is operatively connected with the shaft 7 by means of a spur gear 13 secured upon the shaft and meshing with a spur gear 11 carried by the wheel 12. The lower bracket 8 has an upstanding portion 15 with which an adjustable stop screw 16 carried by the frame 11 is engageable, to limit the movement of the wheel 12 inwardly in the absence of a tray, in order that the wheel will not move inwardly beyond a certain distance, to permit a tray to be readily moved between the wheel 12 and opposite rollers 5. The wheel 12 is moved inwardly under the influence of a spring 17 between the portion 15 and frame 11, whereby the wheel 12 will press against the trays to embed its teeth slightly therein, whereby to assure of a positive feed of the tray as the shaft 7 is rotated by hand to rotate the wheel 12 and advance the tray to remove one row of filled bottles from under the nozzles and bring a row of unfilled bottles thereunder. The rollers 5 serve to hold the tray in proper longitudinal position as it is fed rearwardly by the wheel 12.

A standard 18 is carried by the table or supporting structure opposite the standard 9, and sleeves 19 are slidable-upon the two standards'tl and 18, and carry a yoke 20 which bridges the table to carry the nozzle structure. Vertical hangers 21 are slidable through the yoke 20 at transversely spaced points, and are provided with vertical slots 22 receiving bolts or other elements 23 carried by the yoke 20, whereby to limit the vertical movements of the hangers 21 relative to the yoke 20. The nozzles are suspended from the hangers 21 as will presently appear.

A plurality of liquid supply pipes 21 have their discharge terminals engaged rearwardly through openings in the lower ends of the hangers 21, and elbows 25 are engaged upon said terminals of the pipes 21, reference being had to Fig. 5 for a detail view of the nozzle structure. A depending liquid outlet nozzle 26 is secured to the depending arm of each elbow 25, and a bottle cap 27 is mounted upon the nozzle 26 and incloses a gasket 28 to seat upon the mouth of the bottle for sealing the same. An air suction pipe 29 extends downwardly through the elbow 25 and provides a depending nozzle 30 within the nozzle 26, there being aspreader 31 upon the lower end or tip of the nozzle 30 for spreading the liquid as it flows from the nozzle 26 (when the spreader is spaced therefrom) to distribute the liquid in all directions'against the walls of the bottle, in order that the liquid will flow in a continuous annular sheet down the side walls of the bottle. Thus, if the liquid is hot, it Wlll be distributed evenly throughout meagre the interior surface of the bottle, whereby the bottle will expand evenly to avoid the breakage of the bottle by the uneven expansion thereof. The liquid can also be distributed from the nozzle 26 byan annular series of apertures 31 provided therein adjacent its lower end.

The hangers 21 are provided at their upper ends above the yoke 20 with upstanding stems 32 slidable through a transverse bar 33, coiled wire expansion springs 31 surrounding the stems 32 and being confined between the upper ends of the hangers 21 and the bar 33 to yicldably depress the hangers. Upstanding rigid stems are carried by the yoke 20 between the hangers 21 and extend upwardly through the bar 33, said bar being slidable upon the stems 35 and said stems having nuts 36 threaded thereon to provide adjustable stops for limiting the upward movement of the bar 33 away from the yoke 20. The springs 31 normally depress the hangers 21 to bring the upper ends of the slots 22 against the bolts or stops 23, and the nuts 36 can be adjusted to regulate the tension of the springs 31.

The liquid supply pipes 21 communicate continuously with the liquid tank, and for this purpose, said pipes are bent at an angle and extend transversely to one side in a horizontal plane, and those portions of the pipes which extend to one side are guided for vertical movement at said side by means of a guide plate 37 carried by one sleeve '19 and having vertical slots 38 through which thelaterally extending portions of the pipes 21 extend. Outside of the guide plates 37, the pipes 21 are bent angularly downward and the depending receiving terminals of the pipes 21 project downwardly within an upstanding trough 10 having its lower por tion in communication by means of a pipe 11 with the lower portion of the liquid supply tank 12 which contains the liquid with which the bottles are to be filled. During the upward and downward movement of the pipes 21, their depending receiving terminals are always in the liquid in the trough 10, so that the connection between the filling nozzles and liquid tank is never broken, liquid being supplied to the tank 12 as necessary.

The pipes 21 normally rest upon the lower ends of the slots 38, in order that the pipes will be carried vertically with the plate 37 12c and sleeves 19, but any one of the pipes 21 can stop when the pipes are lowered, should the bottles of the row be of uneven height. Thus, supposing that the yoke 20 is moved downwardly to project the filling "nozzles into the bottles, the gaskets 28 seating upon the mouths or upper ends of the bottles, if a bottle is of greater height than other bottles, the gasket 28 in seating-upon the higher bottle, will immediately stop the respective hanger 21, and the respective pipe 24 will also stop moving downwardly, while the plate 37 and other pipes move downwardly. This enables the nozzles and pipes 24 to adjust themselves to bottles of varying heights, without impairing the utility of the apparatus. a

In order to assist in supporting any one of the pipes 24 when it is stopped in its downward movement beforethe others, due to the presence of a higher bottle in the row, a'hanger rod 43 is provided for each pipe 24, said rods having hooks 44 at their lower ends engaging under the pipes 24 at the inner side of the plate 37, and the rods 43 slide upwardly through a flange 45 with which the plate 37 is provided at its upper edge. Coiled wire expansion springs 46 surround the upper portions of the rods 43 and are confined betweenthe flange 45 and nuts 47 threaded upon the upper terminals of the rods. Said nuts can be adjusted for regulating the tension of the springs 46, and the springs 46 tend to move the rods 43' upwardly to support the pipes 24. Thus, when any one pipe 24 is stopped in its downward movement, the respective rod 43 will also be stopped, due to the lifting tendency of the spring 46, and said rod will therefore assist in supporting the respective pipe 24 even though the plate 37 moves downwardly further, and this will prevent the bending of the pipe or a binding action of the apparatus.

The air suction pipes 29, like the pipes 24,.

than the pipes 24 and in simply containing air, will not require the springs 46 or equivalent means. The outer ends of the pipes'29 are connected by sections of hose or flexible tubes 50 with a manifold 51. A common pipe or hose 51 is connected to the manifold 51and extends to a pump (not shown) for sucking the air from the bottles.

As a means for raising and lowering the nozzles, vertical links 52 have their upper ends connected to the sleeves 19 and their lower ends are pivoted to a transverse equalizing bar 53, which in turn is connected be tween its ends by a link 54 with a foot lever or treadle 55. The link 54 is adj ustably connected to the treadle 55, and said treadle is fulcrumed, as at 56, to the table, the free end of the treadle being provided with a foot piece 57 at one side of the table, whereby the treadle can be conveniently depressed. The treadle is normally raised by means of aspring 58, to raise the sleeves 19 and yoke 20, whereby to remove the nozzles from the bottles.

In operation, supposing that the nozzles are raised air can flow into the air nozzles 30 from the atmosphere, to thereby relieve the pipes 24 of suction, so that there will be no flow of liquid from the liquid nozzles 26. Now, when a row of empty bottles is moved under the nozzles, the treadle is depressed, and this will depress the yoke 20 to move the nozzles into the bottles, and the gaskets 28 in seating upon the upper ends of the bottles, will seal the same, so that the air suction will extend from the nozzles 30 into the nozzles 26, air bein removed from the bottles, which results in the liquid being sucked into the bottles to fill the same. The

liquid will not overflow the bottles, since when the liquid level reaches the nozzles 30, the liquid will be sucked off through the pipes 29, and can be caught in a suitable trap provided for that purpose. The nozzles are then raised, the flow of liquid being stopped as soon as the gaskets 28 are unseated, so that air can flow from the atmosphere in o the nozzles 30. Thus, as the trays are moved longitudinally step-by-step, the nozzles can be brought into and out of operation for filling the bottles quickly and conveniently.

It is to be noted that the'nozzles of each pair are provided with independent liquid supplying and air suction conduits, so that one nozzle structure in being rendered inoperative." will not affect the others. Should some of the bottles be broken or have leaks, it is evident that air will be sucked into the bottles or vessels from the atmosphere, thereby providing an imperfect closure between the air suction and liquid supplyin pipes, so that the liquid will not be sucked into the bottles which are imperfect. This avoids the filling of broken or leaky bottles or vessels, thereby avoiding wastage, as results from the use of gravity fillers.

The caps 27 are preferably threaded upon the nozzles 26, in order that the caps and gaskets can be adjusted vertically to regulate the amount that the nozzles project into the bottles, whereby to control the level of the liquid in the bottles, which will not be much if any above the lower ends of the. nozzles 30.

It is also preferable to provide an outstanding slotted guide 60 for the depending portions of the pipes 24, said guide being carried by the table or track 1 andprojecting from one side thereof. This guide will prevent said depending terminals from swinging toward the table or frame.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:-

1. A filling apparatus embodying a plurality of nozzles, a liquid holding vessel, means for raising and .yieldably depressing the nozzles, a plurality of pipes, one for each nozzle, connected thereto and having terminals depending in said vessel,.said pipes being movable individually with the nozzles, and

means for. yieldably raising the pipes so as to move readily with the nozzles up and down.

2. A filling apparatus. embodying longitudinal means for movably supporting vessels to be filled, a transverse row of depending nozzles, means for raisingand yieldably lowering said nozzles simultaneously above vessels to be filled, a liquid holding vessel at a lower level than said supporting means, a plurality of pipes, one'for each nozzle, connected thereto and extending to one side of pipes, one for each nozzle, connected thereto and having terminals depending in said vessel, the pipes being movable individually with said nozzles, means for guiding the.

pipes for vertical movement, and means for yieldably raising the pipes near the guiding means, so as to move readily with the nozzles up and down.

4:. A filling apparatus embodying a plurality of depending nozzles, a liquid holding vessel, a plurality of pipes, one for each nozzle, connected to the nozzles and having terminals depending in said vessel, a vertically movable device, means for moving said device up and down, means carried by said device for yieldably depressing the nozzles and raising them with said device, a guide carried by said device for said pipes, and means i assembled with said guide for yieldably supporting the pipes. 5. A filling apparatus embodying a longitudinal table, a transverse vertically movable yoke above the table, a transverse row of depending nozzles carried by the yoke, a liquid holding vessel, a plurality of pipes, one for each nozzle, connected thereto and extending at an angle to one side. the pipes being promeagre vided at said side with terminals deppnding y sai in said vessel, and means carried yoke for supporting the pipes.

6. A filling apparatus embodying a longitudinal table, a transverse vertically movable yoke above the table, a transverse row of depending nozzles, yieldably depressed hangers carried by said yoke for sup orting the nozzles, a liquid holding vesse a plurality of pipes, one for each nozzle, connected to the nozzles and having portions extending to one side, the pipes having terminals depending from said portions at said side and projecting within said vessel, a guide carried by the yo e for said portions of the pipes, and means assembled with the guide for yieldably supporting said portions of the pipes,

7. A filling apparatus embodying a liquid supplying pipe, an elbow attached to the endthereof and having a depending arm, a depending liquid nozzle attached to said depending arm of the elbow, a gasket around said nozzle for sealing a vessel which the nozzle enters, an air suction pipe extending through the elbow and providing a depending air suction nozzle extending through the liquid nozzle, and means for distributing the lilquid in all directions from the liquid noz- Z c.

8. A filling apparatus embodying a longitudinal table for the movement of trays thereover, nozzles above said table, means at one side of said table for guiding the trays longitudinally, and a feeding device at the opposite side of the table including a feeding wheel mounted for movement inwardly against the trays under spring tension, and

means for rotating said wheel.

9. A filling apparatus embodying a longitudinal table, filling nozzles above the same, means atone side of the table for guiding trays longitudinally along the table, and a feeding device at the other side of the table including a vertical manually operable shaft, an oscillatory frame upon said shaft, a feeding wheel carried by the frame, springmeans for swinging the frame to move the wheel inwardly against the trays, and an operative connection between said wheel and shaft.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, l have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRED. LYNN SHELOR.

Witnesses:

J. H. CHAPMAN, J. C. S. Pnnsmenn. 

